Conroe OKs share of Customs operation

Howard Roden, hroden@hcnonlinecome

Published 5:24 pm, Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Conroe City Council on Thursday authorized its share of an estimated $2.4 million earmarked for construction of a U.S. Customs Federal Inspection Service operation at Lone Star Executive Airport in Conroe.

The project, which includes construction of a 3,200-square-foot building, would allow inbound private aircraft flights that originate outside the United States to clear customs at Lone Star.

Rather than use George Bush Intercontinental, Hobby Airport, Sugar Land Regional Airport, Laredo or any of the other four general aviation airports in Texas, the county believes it will derive substantial long-term, economic benefit from the FIS operation, LSEA Director Scott Smith stated in a March 13 letter to Conroe City Administrator Paul Virgadamo.

“We’re having more planes fly into Lone Star, including some from Hobby and Bush,” Councilman Jim Gentry said. “We’re not waiting until we get five years behind the curve. This is the visionary thing to do.”

Per a survey, 156 aircraft cleared customs elsewhere in 2012.

The number of jets based at LSEA has increased by 80 percent since 2001, Smith said. While jet operations (takeoffs and landing) have reached 2,500 annually, there has been a 140 percent increase of hangar square footage since 2000 (309,690 to 733,833).

By unanimous vote, the City Council requested the Conroe Industrial Development Corporation to go ahead and fund the council’s request at the next CIDC meeting April 17.

The plan is for the city, the county, The Woodlands Township and a private-public partnership each to fund 25 percent of the estimated 2.4 million construction cost ($600K apiece).

The county already approved its share. Black Forest Ventures, a company in The Woodlands, is in negotiations with Montgomery Country, Smith said.

The Woodlands Township board President Bruce Tough said he has followed the progress of the FIS facility.

“I look forward to seeing the information when it is presented to residents of the township,” he said.